Obituary for James (Jim) Darville
Jim was born in May 1922 in Bedford where his family kept a small grocery shop. His Dad had seen service during the First World War, and so soldiering was in Jim’s blood. He went to Belmont School in Bedford and later moved, with his Mother, Father and Sister Jean to Ridgmont which he loved, the woods he particularly declared, were a child’s paradise.
He started work in 1937 and was working in the printing trade at the outbreak of World War Two. As soon as he could, he volunteered for service in the Army. He was commissioned soon after completion of his Military training and saw service overseas serving with the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment. He was captured by the Germans at Hunts Gap Tunisia on 13 April 1943, during the North Africa Campaign, his diary records he was registered as P.O.W. number 623. In September, he, along with several other British servicemen, escaped from Campo 49 in Italy, he endured several months on the run, being helped and befriended by some wonderful Italian families, who fed him what they could and offered him shelter from the Germans.
Sadly, despite heroic efforts to cross in to safe territory, he was hampered by freezing temperatures, hardly any food, and a most distressing lack of footwear, and by the beginning of December he was taken prisoner again, and spent four months in Oflag VIIIF, and was then transported to Oflag 79 in Brunswick where he was incarcerated until the end of the war, finally being liberated in April 1945 by the U.S.Ninth Army. During this time he made several staunch friends whom he remained in touch throughout the rest of their lives.
He saw the terrible privation of the Russian people, the ruins of German cities, and yet never spoke about his experiences except in a matter of fact way.
At the end of the War, he returned to “Civvy Street” and resumed his trade in printing, marrying his wife Barbara a couple of years later. Jackie was born in 1948, with Simon being born ten years later in 1958.
In 1950 Jim was promoted to the rank of Captain in the Beds and Herts Regiment and continued his long association with the Army as a serving member of the Territorial Army, being promoted to the rank of Major in 1953, and earning his Territorial Decoration for 25 Years Service. On leaving the TA he continued to serve with the Army Cadet Force for many years.
He had a terrific sense of humour and would relate stories of his post war experiences, one of the more memorable ones being the time he and his platoon were marching through rural Bedfordshire and were delighted to find a Pub “The White Horse” at Southill, open. The landlord refused to serve them because their boots and uniforms were dirty!
He would often make wry comments about life and its twists and turns, but usually aimed at himself. Whatever the comment he always had a smile in his eyes.
In the 1950’s He rose to the position of Works Manager at Diemer and Reynolds, an old established firm of Printers in Bedford, and in 1960 he became General Manger. He and Barbara raised their two children whilst living in Bedford.
In 1965 they had Black Timbers built for them in Moggerhanger, and moved in 1966 to what was to be their family home for the rest of their lives. Both he and Barbara never failed to enjoy the glorious garden and the rural setting of the village.
Jim moved to two other Printing firms during his long and successful career, becoming a Company Director during the 1970’s and he and Barbara entered fully into all that Village life had to offer.
Jim was Chairman of the Parish Council for a number of years; he and Barbara enjoyed a long and successful partnership as Chairman and Parish Clerk. They were Friends of Park Hospital; often taking stalls at their Fetes which, as Jim’s company printed (amongst other things) paperback books, there was always a plentiful supply donated to make money for the Hospital Charity.
He was instrumental in setting up the local branch of The Conservative Association of which he became Chairman, and many Safari Suppers started or ended at Black Timbers, together with a good many parties which folk always seemed to enjoy.
He played a large part in the Bedford Branch of the Old Comrades Association and regularly attended meetings in Bedford and at Kempston Barracks. He and Barbara always enjoyed the many Association Dinners and events and Jim attended meetings until only a few years ago.
He became a Friend of St John’s when the Hospice was set up next door to Black Timbers and always attended fetes and lunches to support what was to become his favourite charity. In his later years, he was looked after by the very special Lymphoedema nurses there, who would visit him at home when he was unable to visit them.
In his younger days, he would often been seen walking one of his German Shepherds around the village, and someone remarked to his daughter not long ago, that it was “ never just a walk, it was always a march”.
After Jim’s retirement in 1987, he and Barbra enjoyed holidays all over England with Norfolk being his favourite destination. He loved Blakeney, both for its peace and tranquillity, but also for the beautiful walks he could take with his dogs.
He was a devoted husband to Barbara and a doting dad to Simon and Jackie, enjoying, as the years went by, time spent with his grandsons Tom, George, and Sam. He loved the “boys” to visit, and was thrilled when they set up camp in his garden. He used to spend a lot of time in his garden, and was a keen plant grower. His best achievement he always said though was making a huge snaking rockery down his back garden, a project which he always declared in moving the stone “finally did for his back”.
In his later years, particularly in the years after Barbara’s death, he found it increasingly difficult to get about, so enjoyed time in his home, often sitting at his desk in the front window of Black Timbers, where he had an excellent “window on the world”, and could be found on a warm day, in his wheelchair doing a little light weeding, or supervising Jackie doing some gardening.
Losing him is going to leave an enormous void, not only for his family, but also the many people whose lives he has touched over his 91 years.
JC